Realizing The Truth
by RainbowShadow90
Summary: Ginny and Hermione had something back in Ginny's 6th year. But according to Hermione, it was a drunken fling, nothing more. It meant nothing. So why, a year later, was Ginny still crying herself to sleep, thinking of Hermione? Femmeslash, R&R please.
1. Don't Stop It

**So this is my second fanfic… ever. It's Hermione/Ginny pairing, yes, it is lesbians. Set during Ginny's 7****th**** year, just pretend the war is all over and everything's perfectly okay. I'm not very good at writing battle scenes, so I'm sticking to basic romance. Read and Review, please. Tell me whether you like it or not.**

There she was, sitting with him. I wondered if they were sleeping together. No I didn't… I knew. Of course they were. Why wouldn't they be? Best friends since year 1 at Hogwarts. I was just his sister. His baby sister that he'd rather not bother talking to. It would look bad on his reputation as the sidekick to The Boy Who Lived. Yes, it sounds cruel but I hated him. Hated him with a passion, simply because he was with the girl I loved. Now it was my 7th year, my final year at Hogwarts, and they had graduated to go on to a University for Wizards. High Stone, or something like that, it was called. So why were they sitting here, in the Burrow, chatting with mum and dad about everything under the bloody sun?

I hated him with a passion. I hated her too, sometimes. Like right then, right _then_, when she was ignoring me to giggle at Ron's witless jokes. Merlin, did I hate them. He was brainless, and she was a total brain. Polar opposites. She was beautiful, and he was a complete loser. So why were they dating? Why wasn't I with her? I'll tell you why. Because everything that happened during my sixth year and her seventh, it was all a lie.

"_I want you," she giggled drunkenly. _

"_You're pissed," I laughed, and pulled her down onto her bed._

"_I'm not that drunk," she whispered, sliding her hand up my shirt slowly._

"_Maybe just a bit?" I questioned playfully._

"_Shhh," she told me, and pressed her lips to mine._

She was seductive, yes, and gorgeous, yes. And I was her first, or so she told me. We never went too far, so I'm not sure you could really consider it sex. Touching, more like it. Intense touching. And now I was 17 years old, with nothing to show for it. I almost got kicked off Gryffindor's quidditch team, I was doing horrible in all my bloody classes, and I was in love with my brother's girlfriend. Merlin, did I hate life.

"Ginny!" a voice yelled, snapping me out of my reverie.

"What?" I snapped irritably, looking up.

"Mum wants to know if you want dinner, she's been calling you for the past five minutes," Ron mumbled, apprehensive at noticing my bad mood.

Everyone was watching me.

"No. I'm not hungry," I muttered, and walked up the stairs to my room. I closed the door gently behind me and lay down on my bed. I stared up at the ceiling. Didn't she get it? Didn't she realize how I felt? How I loved her? How I wanted her so badly that I was willing to cut my brother completely out of my life for her? And then I thought, I wondered. What was I doing? Why was I ready to completely throw away my life for a girl that didn't even want me? But the answer popped into my head immediately. Because I loved her. Because I knew she loved me. Even if she hid it, when people are piss drunk, they say exactly how they feel. Everything they say is honest. And she had told me more than once, more than twice that she loved me. She told me we belonged together. And now she was pretending that none of it happened, because of my prat of a brother. Merlin did I --

"Gin?" a voice said, pulling me from my thoughts.

I looked up. The voice was soft. Feminine. Hermione. Nevertheless, I couldn't keep the anger, the hatred out of my voice.

"What?" I said shortly.

"Are… are you feeling all right?"

"I'm fine. Perfectly fine," I lied angrily. "Where's Ron?"

"Downstairs. Do you need him?"

_No, I was just wondering why you weren't with him._

"No. I'm far from needing him around."

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing."

I rolled over and pretended that I was trying to sleep. There was silence. The door closed and there were footsteps outside of the door, fading. I rolled over onto my back and stared at the ceiling again. I wanted to run away and never come back. I wanted to leave it all behind and go far, far away with my only friend, Luna Lovegood. But I couldn't. I had my final year at Hogwarts to finish. I had mum and dad here. My life was here. I couldn't just up and leave.

"Ginny!" yelled mum from downstairs.

"Coming!" I yelled back, and got up from my bed. I padded down the stairs softly but quickly.

"Why don't you want dinner, Ginny, dear?" Mum asked me.

"I just don't. I'm not hungry. Can I go back up now?"

"Come on, Gin, it's dull without you," lied Ron.

I rolled my eyes.

"Ginny, dear, please have dinner with the rest of the family. Harry should be arriving soon as well."

"I'm not hungry, mum, please," I nearly pleaded.

"All right, dear, I'll save your dinner for you."

"Thanks, mum," I mumbled.

I went into my room and threw myself onto the bed. I really hated them. I hated them with a passion.

"Ginny?"

God, why couldn't everyone just piss off?!

"What?" I said, looking up. It was Charlie. He was home on vacation. I had almost forgotten he was home. My expression softened. In a big family, you shouldn't really pick favorites, but Charlie was my favorite.

"You all right?

"Not especially," I said, sitting up and hugging my knees to my chest.

"Is it… her?"

Charlie was the only one in the family to know that I was a lesbian. He also knew about Hermione.

"Yeah, it is."

"Tell me what's wrong, little sis."

"I hate her. She's a dumb bitch, and I hate her, and I hate him, too. They're bloody idiots who don't see how much I love her!"

Tears welled up in my eyes.

"Oh, Gin…"

"I hate them. She had that whole year, that whole bloody year with me, hiding out in the Room of Requirement and her Head Girl dorm. That whole bloody year, and now it was all a lie? A lie, Charlie? Did it never happen? It never happened, not to her, but it will always be in my memory!"

"Ginny, some girls are stupid. Either she's afraid to come out, or she was just playing with you. I'm hoping it's the former. "

"Me, too," I sniffled.

I heard footsteps pounding up the stairs.

"Lock the door, Charlie; I don't want her in here."

"Gin, this is her room, too."

"She can room with Ron."

"Gin…"

But it was too late, for Hermione, Ron and Harry had barged in.

"Gin, mum wants to talk to you," Ron said.

"Great. Get out," I told him shortly.

Harry and Ron exchanged glances and walked out of the room, leaving Hermione, Charlie and I.

"Ginny, is there anything you want to talk about?" Hermione asked timidly.

"Nothing at all," I lied, and pushed myself off of the bed. I made my way down the stairs, feeling her eyes on my back. Charlie followed after me.

"Mum? Where are you?" I called.

"In the kitchen, dear," Mum called back.

I padded to the kitchen softly.

"What'd you want to talk to me about, mum?"

"Ginny, dear, are you feeling okay? Lately you've seemed a bit, well, off."

"I'm just tired, mum. I'm fine," I lied.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, mum."

I swallowed the lump in my throat and the truth that came with it.

"All right, dear. Do you want your dinner?"

I shook my head. "I just want to go to sleep."

"All right, dear, well your dinner is right here," Mum told me, patting a plate next to the sink.

"Thanks, mum," I said quietly, and made my way back upstairs.

I pushed the door open to my bedroom and spotted Ron, holding Hermione's hands.

"Get out," I told him.

"Why?"

"I'm going to sleep," I said, faking a yawn.

"Oh," they said in unison.

I crawled into bed.

"You coming, Hermione?" I heard Ron say.

"No," Hermione replied softly, "Go on without me."

"Okay…"

Footsteps and then the door closed. More footsteps and I heard the door lock. More footsteps and I felt the bed sink in.

"Ginny, please talk to me," Hermione whispered. "I know you're not sleeping."

I swallowed the lump in my throat again, the damn thing kept coming back.

"Go away, Hermione."

"Ginny, please. I love you. You're my friend."

"Yeah. Whatever."

I felt a hand on my waist and fought the urge to shiver.

"Gin, please…"

I rolled over to face her.

"What do you want from me, Hermione?"

"I want to know why you hate me all of a sudden. Why you hate everyone except Charlie and your mum and dad."

I rolled back over to have my back facing her. What she wanted to hear didn't interest me in the least. I heard her sigh, and the bed sunk a bit more. I knew she was lying down beside me now.

"Is this what you want?" she whispered, sliding an arm across my torso and pulling me close.

"Get off," I mumbled nervously.

_Don't get off._

"It is, isn't it? And this?" she told me quietly, kissing the back of my neck.

"Stop it," I whispered, feeling goose pimples break out across my arms.

_Don't stop it._

"No, I won't. Ginny, you're my best friend, but we can't be more than that. I'm not gay. You know that."

"The hell you're not," I snarled, sitting up and facing her. "All the stuff you told me, you said you loved me!" I hissed.

"I do love you, as a friend."

My heart kept breaking into more and more pieces.

"Liar," I told her. "I love you, Hermione, I love you so much that it hurts. But sometimes, I hate you, and I hate you so much that I wish I could just fall off the face of the earth so you don't have to hurt me anymore."

The expression on her face said it all. I had finally gotten to her.


	2. Visiting Luna Lovegood

**Okay, so this is the second installment of the story. My friend and beta Ruthie loves this story for some reason, so here goes. This chapter's for her. =) R&R please.**

I had finally gotten to her. The expression on her face showed nothing but hurt, and betrayal.

"You… hate me?"

"Sometimes, I do."

"Why?" she whispered, tears filling her beautiful brown eyes.

"Because all you do is hurt me, Hermione! You said you loved me, you told me you loved me and that… that we were meant to be together, and now it's all about Ron? I'll be damned if I let my brother get the girl that _I _love!"

"Ginny, I…I'm not gay, I'm not… _like_ you. I like men. I love Ron."

"Well then this conversation's over."

Tears spilled over her cheeks and I rolled over, even though it was killing me to see her cry. I pretended I didn't care and closed my eyes. The weight on the bed lifted a bit, and I heard her trying to set out the cot mum had gotten for her. I heard the scraping of the cot's legs and I tried to swallow the ever-returning lump in my throat.

"Hermione?" a voice said by the door.

_Damn, I didn't hear any footsteps._

"Yes, Harry?"

Her voice was higher than it should have been, and hoarse.

"What… why are you crying? Did you and Ginny have a falling out?"

"No, I'm just stressed out with High Stone work," she lied, and I wondered if she had ever lied to me so easily.

"Are… are you sure?" Harry asked awkwardly. "Nothing you want to talk about?"

"Yes, Harry, I'm sure… I'm… I'm going to take a nap now. Can you just go?" she sniffled.

"Sure… I'm here if you need, Hermione. You're my best friend, don't forget that."

She must have nodded, for there was silence, footsteps, and the door shut softly. I heard Hermione sniffle a few times, and then there was silence again. I knew Hermione was crying as silently as she could, but it was pointless to be quiet since I knew she was crying anyway.

I fell into a restless, dreamless sleep for what must have been 3 or 4 hours. When I woke up, it was to Pigwidgeon pecking me with his beak. I groaned sleepily and opened one eye.

"What is it, Pig?"

He hooted and stuck his leg out. There was a rolled up parchment tied to his leg. It must have been Luna's response. I untied the parchment, and rubbed his head softly.

"Thanks, Pig."

I unrolled the parchment after Pig nipped me affectionately and flew back out of the open window.

_Dearest Ginny,_

_My summer's been rather boring. Father has discovered a new breed of Nargles, but they're rather ugly. Though it isn't Christmas, Father has decided on getting mistletoe for exploring the lives of Nargles. How is the situation with your secret love going? I hope all is well. Would you like to come visit for a week or so? I'm rather lonely with just Father to keep me company, and he's off all the time doing research on this new breed. Write back soon._

_Love, Luna_

I smiled down at the letter. Luna really was one of a kind, but a wonderful friend. I rummaged in my drawer next to my bed for parchment, a quill and some ink. Pulling what I needed out of the drawer, I looked over to Hermione's cot. It was empty.

_Damn._

I rolled out of bed and padded out of the room and down the stairs.

"Mum? Dad?" I called.

"We're in here, dear," Mum called from the living room.

I made my way there and stood in front of them.

"Ginny, aren't you hungry yet?"

"A bit, maybe. Can I spend a week over at Luna's house? She's just invited me by owl."

I pointed to my room where you could clearly hear Pig hooting and flapping his wings excitedly.

"Of course, love. When are you planning to go?"

"As soon as I can," I said casually. "I really miss her."

"Well, pack your things, and we'll floo you over there, dear," dad said.

"Thanks mum, thanks dad."

I ran up the stairs and into my room, where I found Ron reading the parchment Luna had sent. My heart dropped.

"Ooh, Ginny's got a secret love," he said upon seeing me.

"Piss off. And what the hell are you doing reading _my_ private things?"

"I came in here to ask you if you wanted to play a bit of quidditch, but you weren't here, and it was just there. So who is he? Your secret love, I mean."

"Oh, piss off, and get out. I have to pack."

"Where are you going?"

"Obviously, you didn't read the whole thing. I'm going to Luna's for a week or so."

"Oh. Why?" he asked stupidly.

"Just _get out!_"

I had lost my patience.

"Okay, okay… sheesh, sorry…"

Ron made his way out of my room, and I began scribbling on the clean side of the parchment.

_Dear Luna,_

_I just asked mum and dad if I can go. They said yes. I'll be flooing over before this even gets to your house. As you can see, my situation's horrid. See you soon._

_Love, Ginny_

"Oh, damn, Pig's gone. Pig!" I yelled out the window.

I heard distant hooting, and then Pig came into view. Luckily he hadn't flown too far. He flew into the window and sat at the ledge.

"I need you to take this to Luna, as fast as you can okay?"

He hooted once and stuck out his leg. I tied the parchment with a bit of string to his leg and he flew off. Immediately I began shoving things into a nearby duffel bag that Hermione's parents had given to me as a gift one time. Odd birthday gift, really, but at that moment I was grateful that they had given it to me.

I threw in random clothes, books, my diary, some quills and ink, everything I needed. I took my wand from my bedside and tucked it behind my ear, not unlike how Luna did. Zipping up the duffel bag, I threw it over my shoulder and ran to my mum and dad.

"Can I go now?"

"That was rather fast," dad smiled.

"I really want to go. Can I? Please?"

"Don't you want to say goodbye to the others?"

"Where's Charlie?" I asked.

"He's in the twins' room," mum said.

"Okay," I said, dropped the duffel bag and ran up the stairs to the twins' room. I knocked on the door.

"Charlie? You in there?" I called.

"Yeah, Gin, come on in," he said from inside.

I pushed the door open slowly and walked in. Charlie was sitting on the floor, writing on a bit of parchment.

"I'm going to Luna's house for a week. Just wanted to say goodbye and all."

"Oh. How are you feeling?" he asked me, getting to his feet.

"Miserable. That's why I'm leaving. I haven't said 'bye to anyone but you so far and I think that's how it's going to stay."

"Well, all right. Have fun, be safe and write if you need anything."

"Okay, I will."

I padded over to him softly and gave him a hug.

"See you soon, then," he said, hugging back.

We let go and I smiled up at him.

"Bye, then," I said, and ran back down to Mum and Dad.

"All right, you're off," dad smiled, and hugged me. "Have fun, dear."

"Bye mum, bye dad," I said, hugging them both.

I stepped into the fireplace, grabbed a handful of floo powder, and threw it down into the fireplace. Green flames roared in my ears.

"Ottery St. Catchpole!" I said clearly.


	3. Comfortable

**Chapter three of this story has finally come out. I have a lot of hits on this story and enough reviews to make me update, so that's what I'm doing. This chapter contains some implied sexual content with two female characters, so if you don't like that sort of stuff, or you're too immature or young to handle it, please leave now. All others, please R&R. I see you all are reading this; I got about 500 hits from this story alone. So please review if you're reading ) Thank you (:**

"Ginny Weasley," a mysterious voice said by the fireplace.

I looked up.

"Luna Lovegood."

We smiled and embraced tightly.

"Oh, damn, I've got you covered in soot now, I'm sorry," I told her, looking at her rather pretty outfit and seeing it tarnished with ashes from the fireplace.

"It's quite all right; I've just gotten your letter. Your owl's in my room resting, by the way."

"Thanks very much," I smiled and hugged her again.

Luna and I had a past of sorts; she was there to comfort me with all the love I needed when Hermione had begun to deny her feelings and our past. It still happened sometimes, and I was sure it would happen that whole week I was going to spend with her.

"Father's off on a research trip like I told you, so we have the whole house to ourselves. How's everything going?"

"Quite miserable, actually," I smiled, "but it's made me so much happier to see you."

"That's good. What's been going on then?"

"Hermione and I, we had a talk of sorts."

"Did you? And?"

"She asked me to talk to her. I asked what she wanted from me, and it ended up as me telling her I hate her, and her telling me she's not "like me" and she loves Ron."

I allowed the tears to spill over my cheeks; I could always cry in front of Luna. They stung at my eyes and burned my skin. Luna pulled me into her arms and held me tightly. She swayed slowly on the spot and kissed my head.

"I just hate her sometimes, you know? I wish she'd fall off the face of the earth, or I would… I wish she would love me, that's all…" I hiccupped.

"I know, dear. She's just denying it; she's a silly person for doing so. I don't know who in their right minds would deny you if you tell them you loved them. I certainly don't."

"I suppose," I sniffled and buried my face into her neck.

"Come on, dear, let's go sit out back and have a chat," she told me softly.

I nodded. She took my hand and we walked out to the back. Once there, we lay down in the grass and I lay my head on her lap. She stroked my hair slowly, and played with it gently.

"Luna?" I said softly.

"Yes, love."

"Do you think she'll ever realize I'm supposed to be with her instead of Ron?"

"I'm sure she will. She's rather bright."

I sniffled and clung to her.

"Do you want to… you know… kiss a bit? Maybe that will help you feel better?" Luna asked me, rather awkwardly. You'd think after a few years of us being together, she'd stop being shy. Yes, Luna and I had been friends with "benefits" for quite a long time. We never let it get serious, always focusing on school work, and Quidditch for me. But during the summer, and the holidays, we were very, well, intimate.

I shrugged noncommittally and she smiled dreamily.

"That's always a yes," she said softly.

"You know me very well," I smiled and sat up. Our lips met and melded together. Her hands gripped mine softly, and our fingers laced together, causing a smile to spread across my lips. Her tongue darted out to meet mine and we stood that way for a while, kissing before her hand loosened from mine and slid to my waist. I felt so comfortable doing this with Luna, maybe because she had been my best friend for all these years. I wasn't sure exactly what it was but it was a good feeling. We continued on what we were doing, and it went a little far, so when we were lying on the grass, half clothed, I wondered what it was about Luna that made me feel so comforted.

"Luna?" I said softly, my head lying on her chest.

I felt the gentle rising and falling of Luna's chest as she breathed erratically, her heart pounding.

"Yes, love," she said peacefully. I almost forgot she liked to lay there in silence and cuddle afterwards, like me. This time was different. I had to know.

"Why do I feel so comfortable with you? When I'm with her, I'm nervous and all, but with you, I'm… well, at peace, I feel safe."

"I suppose it's because I'm your best friend, or because we've been doing this for quite a long time," she said dreamily.

"I suppose… It just feels so… different."

"Yes, it does feel different from when I was with Mandy."

Mandy Brocklehurst was a girl in Ravenclaw, a year older than us. She was rather pretty, but she and Luna just didn't work out. Luna said she was high maintenance, and Luna was a very simple person. It was also said that Mandy was just experimenting, which does fall into the high maintenance category when it comes to Luna.

"I never liked her," I said softly, tiredly.

"You never liked anyone I dated, dear. You were a rather jealous person…"

"Well, they're taking my best friend away! I remember how you were with Mandy; you were joined at the hip until you realized she was being a bitch."

"She was a bit of a bitch, wasn't she?" Luna smiled softly, and held me close to her.

I snuggled deeper into her, content enough with feeling loved for the moment. We lay in silence for quite a while, until a rather small, grey owl came into view across the horizon.

"Damn, that's Harry's new owl," I muttered.

"Harry? What does he want?" Luna asked curiously.

"I'm not sure. It's probably Ron bitching that I took Pig with me."

"Oh, dear," Luna said softly as the owl flew up to me.

"Hello, Artemis," I smiled softly at the small female owl.

Artemis hooted softly and stuck out her leg. I unraveled the paper from her leg and opened it up.

"Would you like an owl treat?" Luna asked kindly, getting up slowly, gently as not to let me fall flat onto the ground.

"She's come a long way. That might be a good idea."

Luna padded into her house softly, half dressed, as I opened the letter. I recognized the loopy handwriting immediately as Hermione's, and my heart began to beat faster.

_Ginny,_

_Your mum and dad said you left to Luna's place for about a week. I just have to know, is it me? Do you want me to leave the Burrow so you can feel at peace? Ginny, I'm sorry for the way you feel, but it's just not going to work out. I'm sorry. Please write back._

_ With all my love,_

_ Hermione_

_P.S., Ron wants Pig back as soon as possible._

I swallowed the ever-returning lump in my throat. Damn her.

"Here we… Ginny? What's wrong, love?" Luna said, coming back out with a bag of Owl treats.

She fed a treat to Artemis, and after Artemis gobbled it down, they both waited patiently to see my reaction. I simply handed the letter to Luna. She read it over quickly and a fire in her eyes appeared that I had rarely seen.

"Damn her! You know, love, I'm sick and tired of her playing with you like this! This has to stop! This--,"

But exactly what "this" was, I never found out, for I pulled her down onto the ground with me and began to cry into her neck.

"Oh, love," she sighed, and held me tightly. I cried for what must have been an hour before I calmed down, and Artemis was still waiting patiently. After I had calmed down, Luna kissed me chastely, and I curled into her, sniffling.

"She's a rather tolerant owl, isn't she?" Luna said casually, trying to get my mind off of Hermione.

I nodded. "Luna, d'you have a quill and some ink somewhere? I'd like to write to Charlie."

"Of course, love. I'll be right back, all right? Would you like me to bring your brother's owl as well?"

"Yes, please."

I stroked Artemis's head very softly until Luna returned with Pig and the quill and ink.

"Thank you," I said softly.

I took the piece of parchment Artemis had brought and wrote on the back of it, where nothing was written.

_Hermione,_

_I don't want an explanation; I don't want anything from you. Yes, I am at Luna's for a while. Don't leave, my brother would love for you to stay. I'll probably stay with Luna the remainder of the summer. Not that you care._

_Please give this to Charlie._

_Hey Charlie, guess who. I've got loads to tell you, but not through this letter. I'm going to send something to you through another owl. Hope all is well,_

_ Love, Ginny_

I tied the parchment around Artemis' leg.

"Bring this to Hermione, and she'll give it to Charlie, all right Artemis?"

Artemis hooted to show she understood. I rubbed her head softly.

"Safe flight, then."

Artemis flew off and I got up from the ground.

"Do you have a bit of spare parchment, Luna?"

"Of course, love. In my room, under my bed."

I smiled gratefully and made my way inside to Luna's room. I searched under her bed until I found a bit of parchment. It was under a picture. I looked at the picture for a moment. It was her and I, hugging under a tree. Occasionally, I would kiss her cheek and she would laugh delightedly. I smiled. I remembered that day. It was the first day we had began to fool around.

"_Ginny?"_

"_Yes, Luna?"_

"_D'you… I mean… Would you like to… erm…to kiss a bit? You know, to get your mind off of things? I hear it's rather fun once you get the hang of it."_

_I laughed. "Sounds like a plan, Luna, dear."_

_And kiss we did, and in those moments, I lost myself and found a best friend._

I took the picture and the spare parchment with me, back to Luna.

"Hey, Luna? Look what I found."

Luna looked up. She smiled brightly upon seeing the photograph.

"Yes, that was a delightful day. I was rather nervous, you know."

"Were you?"

"Yes. You were my first kiss."

My jaw dropped.

"…_I _was your first kiss?! Honestly?"

Luna nodded serenely.

"I never knew that."

"Yes, well, you never really asked."

Luna looked embarrassed, and was slowly turning pink. I smiled; she was quite adorable at times. I sat down between her legs and began writing on the parchment.

_Dear Charlie,_

_I just sent a letter to you through Artemis. Luna and I have been hanging out so far, and Hermione's written to me. She keeps telling me she's sorry and all that crap. I'm so sick of her… I might be going home on the last day of vacation, because I really don't want to see her, or Ron. I hope all is well. Take care, write back soon._

_ Love always,_

_ Ginny_

"Come here, Pig," I said, clicking my tongue.

Pig flew off of Luna's arm and onto my lap. I rolled the parchment up and tied it around pig's leg.

"To Charlie, all right, Pig? Don't let anyone else see this, got it?"

Pig hooted once and flew off. I watched him fly off into the sunset, lying in Luna's arms and she held me. We lay there contently watching the sun fade away and watched day turn to night.


	4. Xenophilius Lovegood And Illnesses

**Chapter four is up! I'm very happy. I hope you all liked the last chapter; it gives character to the friendship of Luna and Ginny. It shows how close they are, and the hurt/comfort thing is going on. So… R&R please. :)**

"Hey, Luna?" I asked softly into the darkness.

"Yes, love," she replied quietly.

"Do you love me?" I asked.

"Of course, with all of my heart," she said dreamily.

"Promise?"

"I promise."

She yawned slowly, stretching her arms over her head and then went back to holding me. The night air was cold, and I was beginning to want to go inside to the warmth of her bed -- our bed.

"You're shivering," she noted.

I looked down at myself; I _was_ shivering.

"Do you want to go inside?"

"I suppose," I responded.

Luna got up, and helped me up. I loved her; she was the best friend I had ever had. She always took care of me, and I think she liked me a bit, sometimes. It was the things she did, holding my hand, calling me her love. The little things. Nevertheless, I loved her just the same. But my feelings for her were platonic. Just friendly kissing… and touching.

"Come on, then."

We made our way inside, and I immediately bounced onto the couch, in front of the fireplace. I was feeling warmer already. Luna plopped down beside me and laid her head in my lap. I played with her hair quietly and she snuggled against me. Not long after we had begun to cuddle on the couch, I heard a pecking at the window. We both looked up to see Artemis at the window, flapping her wings and pecking softly.

Luna got up and opened the window. Artemis flew in and landed on my lap. She stuck her leg out. I assumed it was a letter from Hermione because of the loopy handwriting. I opened it, my heart pounding.

_Dear Ginny,_

_Why do you have to be this way all the time? I don't understand what I did wrong. Why do you hate me so much? Please just come back. I miss you. You're my best friend. Please come back, or at least write back with an appropriate response that doesn't include you yelling at me. _

_Love, Hermione_

_P.S., Charlie's writing back to you. He's sending Pig with the letter right now._

I sighed and threw the letter into the fireplace.

"You can go back, Artemis. I'm not writing back. But thank you," I said, stroking the tiny owl on her head softly.

She hooted softly and flew on her way. I hugged Luna close.

"She basically told me that she misses me, I'm her best friend and she doesn't understand why I'm acting this way," I told Luna softly. I was all cried out from earlier, and couldn't cry anymore.

"You know, for one of Hogwarts' top students, she's rather dumb."

I smiled softly. "Yes, I suppose so."

I yawned tiredly, and curled up against Luna. I was warm now, and needed a good nap.

"Do you want to sleep for a bit?" Luna asked, reading my mind.

"A bit," I said tiredly.

She slid an arm around my torso, and it felt so different from when Hermione did it. It was normal, comfortable… safe. Quickly, I fell into a dreamless sleep. I didn't dream very often, which, I suppose was a good thing. When I woke up, it was to excited yelling. I jerked awake and looked around, alarmed.

"Oh, damn. I'm sorry, Gin. I got a bit excited there," Luna told me.

"It's okay," I yawned, stretching. "What's going on?"

"Father's gone and gotten me an owl!"

"Oh?" I said, interested. I sat up and yawned again. "What kind, then?"

"A tawny owl. I'm going to name her Nyx."

"That's a nice name," I told her groggily.

"Isn't it? It's originated from a sort of sprite."

"Really?" I smiled.

Luna nodded happily and bent down, out of sight. When she rose up again, it was after a bit of clattering and with a brown Tawny owl.

"Well, hello there," I said, beginning to wake up.

The owl hooted softly. Luna smiled brightly. I stretched once more and stood up.

"So, now what?"

"I have to owl someone; anyone, really."

I laughed. She was so excited, and it was rather cute.

"There's no one to owl, hun."

"Oh… I suppose you're right."

I smiled a bit. "You should let her fly for a bit. You know, let her get used to the surroundings."

"Yes, that would be a good idea."

Luna rubbed Nyx's head softly. "This is your home for the summer and holidays, okay? Return here whenever you get a letter for me or if you want to rest a bit or eat. I'm always here if you need love, okay?" she told Nyx softly.

Nyx hooted a few times and flapped her wings.

"Off you go then," Luna said, lifting her arm. "Safe flight."

Nyx took off, out the window and into the darkness.

"Do you think it's time to call it a night, love?"

"Maybe, what time is it?"

"About 10."

I nodded and she led me up to her bedroom. Luna and I always slept naked, so we undressed what little clothes we had on and curled up in bed together. I wondered all of a sudden if Luna had any more feelings for me than I had for her.

"Luna?" I said softly.

"Yes, love," she yawned.

"We're… just friends, right?"

"Friends, yes. Lovers, yes. Dating, no. Does that answer your question?" she asked with a stretch.

"I… Do you have feelings for me, Luna?"

"Not as more than just a friend, dear. But I do love you to death. You are truly the best friend I have ever had, and I intend to keep it that way for many years to come."

"So… how did this all start? Us, I mean."

"I'm not quite sure, really. We just… became friends with benefits. No strings attached. And even if we stopped doing this, I'm quite sure we'd still be close as ever."

"Do you think so?"

"I know so, love."

"Okay."

I snuggled into her and she snuggled back. I was rather worried before this little chat that she had some sort of romantic feelings for me. It would have hurt her terribly to know I was with her just to comfort myself from Hermione. Then it struck me. What did she get out of this?

"Luna? What do you get out of us doing this?"

"Well, I feel loved in a sense. I feel important and needed… Don't you?"

"Yes," I smiled, relieved. I'm glad we were on the same wavelength.

"Ginny?"

"Yeah?"

"Can we just go to sleep now?"

"Sure," I said quietly, and curled myself into her.

She buried her face into the crook of my neck and we lay there, slowly falling asleep. When we woke up, it was to Pig tapping on the window with his beak at about 4 in the morning.

"Go away," I pleaded tiredly, burrowing my face in between Luna's neck and shoulder.

He pecked incessantly, until finally I got up, trying my best not to wake Luna.

"What on earth do you want from me, Pig? It's not even morning yet!" I hissed as quietly as I could.

He hooted loudly, and Luna stirred.

"Shut up, Pig," I whispered and took the letter from his leg. I left it on the beside and opened the window wider so he could fly away if he so desired. He decided not to. Instead he flew around the room excitedly, hooting loudly. Luna sat up, rubbing one eye tiredly.

"What's going on?" she asked groggily.

"Someone's wrote to me. I'm sorry. This bloody owl gets excited sometimes after he makes deliveries."

"It's quite all right," she yawned and lay back down, turning a lamp on at the same time.

"Calm down, Pig!" I hissed, flapping my hands at him.

I opened the letter.

_Ginny,_

_Hermione's fallen incredibly ill. We're not sure what's caused it. Might be one of George's sweets; you know how he liked to experiment with them when he lived here. Anyway, Hermione wishes to see you as soon as possible. This is not a joke. Please come as soon as you can._

_Love, Charlie_

I sighed and folded the letter up.

"What's happened, love?"

"Hermione's fallen rather ill, and wants to see me. I really don't want to go," I told Luna, crawling back into bed. Pig had finally calmed down.

Luna hugged me tightly. "Do you want me to go with you for a few days, love?"

"That'd be nice…"

"All right. When would you like to go?"

"Never. I want to stay here with you for the rest of my life and pretend that everything is fine and merry."

Luna smiled, her face silhouetted by the light of the small lamp she had turned on.

"Well, we have to go sometime."

"I suppose… We'll go in the morning, okay?"

"All right, then," she smiled again, hugging me tightly to her.

I fell asleep quickly, but it was a restless sleep. Nevertheless, I got the rest I needed, and woke up around 11 the next morning. Luna was already up and making breakfast for us. I gathered my clothes and got dressed slowly, sluggishly, and went to brush my teeth. When I came out, Luna was setting up eggs, bacon, hash browns and orange juice on the table.

"Talk about amazing," I grinned tiredly, wiping the sleep out of my eyes.

Luna smiled proudly and pulled me to the table.

"I hope you enjoy it," she beamed at me.

"I'm sure I will, I always have," I told her, smiling back.

We ate quickly and I noted something; Luna was still naked.

"Do you plan on going like that to meet my mum and dad?" I grinned.

"Not at all. I intend to get dressed… but I have to shower first."

"I might join you," I smiled, genuinely innocently.

She nodded, and I got up with her. We washed our plates the muggle way, and made our way to the shower.

"Luna?" a man's voice called.

Luna's eyes widened and she ran to her room, stark naked.

"In here father, getting ready to shower!"

A man walked in, rather tall, but with a big belly, and blonde hair like Luna's, though he was balding.

"Oh, hello, Ginny," said Xenophilius Lovegood.

"Hello," I said nervously.

Luna walked out of her room in a bath robe.

"Father, Ginny and I were just about to shower, and go back to her house. A friend of ours has fallen ill and we were going to visit her," said Luna smoothly.

"Oh, all right, then," Mr. Lovegood said. "And you're undressed, because…?"

"Oh, you know Ginny and I," Luna said casually.

Luna's father nodded; somehow he knew all about what we were up to for the past few years. Even though Luna's father was a very nice, albeit odd person, he always made me nervous. Perhaps it was that he tried to succumb to Lord Voldemort's wishes and turn Harry, Ron and Hermione in to Voldemort, but I never knew what to expect from him. I followed Luna into the shower. Quickly, we showered and got dressed without messing around and made it to my house without speaking to Mr. Lovegood again.

But stepping out of my fireplace, I heard weak, hoarse coughing and footsteps.

"Ginny?"


	5. Frothing and Brown Potions

**Chapter 5 is here. I've been writing and writing constantly. I'm hooked on writing for you guys, and I love getting reviews. So if you want more story, I need more reviews, I'm not getting too many at the moment. So review and get more chapters. : )**

"Hermione? What… what the hell happened?!"

When I walked out of the fireplace, I spotted Hermione lying on the couch. Her face was red, her forehead was sweating and she looked extremely ill.

"Mum? What's going on?" I asked my mum as she walked in with Ron.

All the hate and envy I had tucked deep inside of me flared to surface. I clenched my fists furiously and began to walk back into the fireplace until Luna grabbed my arm.

"No, Ginny. You have to face this," she told me softly in my ear.

I shook my head. "I'm tired of him," I muttered, "I hate him and I hate her. I don't even know why I came back in the first place."

"Because you care, because you love her, because you love your family."

"I don't love anyone but you, Charlie and my mum and dad."

"You're lying to yourself, Ginny."

I stared at Hermione, trying to register what Luna had just told me. I swallowed the ever-returning lump in my throat and walked over to her.

"Hermione?"

"Hey, Gin…" she said hoarsely.

"What… happened?"

I kneeled down in front of her and touched her face softly. It was hot.

"I don't know. I ate a piece of cake and, I just feel so sick right now…"

"Well… are you allergic to anything that was in the cake? I know I'm allergic to nuts."

Ron snickered and I took off my sneakers and threw one at Ron. "Shut up, you git," I snarled.

Luna rested a hand on my shoulder as she came up from behind me. "Calm down," she murmured in my ear. I sighed.

"Tell us what happened then," I told Hermione.

"I'm not sure. I might be allergic to something," she said, beginning to cough. She clutched her chest, seeming like she was in agony. My heart dropped.

"Mum, do something!" I nearly yelled, panicked.

"Ginny, there's nothing we can do," Dad said softly.

"There has to be! Potions, spells, anything! Come on, damnit!"

"Ginny… We've tried."

"Owl George, do something! We can't just sit here and-- WHY ARE YOU LAUGHING, YOU BLOODY GIT?!" I roared at Ron.

"You're getting worked up over nothing!" Ron said indignantly.

"Nothi-- YOUR GIRLFRIEND'S ON THE BLOODY DEATHBED AND YOU'RE LAUGHING! IF SHE WAS _MY_ GIRLFRIEND, I'D BE DOING EVERYTHING IN MY POWER TO KEEP HER HAPPY AND HEALTHY!"

My face dropped as everyone but Luna stared.

"Are you trying to imply that you're a lesbian or something?" Ron said, turning a bit pale.

"I… No. I'm not a lesbian. It was just a statement!" I said defensively.

Everyone but Hermione and Luna looked suspicious.

"Not now, all right? We need to take care of Hermione," I mumbled ashamedly.

Mum and dad nodded – they understood – but Ron nearly had a heart attack.

"You're a dyke, then?" he said, ears turning red.

"I'm not a _dyke_, Ron. I just happen to like girls…"

"You're a bloody dyke then!"

"Hey, hey, what's going on in here?" Charlie said, walking in.

"Ginny's a… a dyke!" Ron yelled.

"I'M NOT A DYKE!" I roared, and whipped out my wand, storming over to him. He finally shut up.

"Hey, there's no need for that," Charlie said calmly, "Put that away."

"The hell I will! I'm tired of him, and I'm tired of the way he treats Hermione, and the way he's talking to me right now! I hate him! I hate his guts, and I'm going to show him!" I yelled.

Everyone looked astonished except for Ron who just looked like he was close to soiling himself.

"Ronald Bilius Weasley, you leave your sister alone right now!" Mum screeched furiously. "It does not matter whether or not she likes girls, what matters right now is that she is your sister and that Hermione is sick! You will keep your mouth shut unless you are helping us figure something out! Do you understand me?!"

Ron nodded, but I still didn't pull my wand away from his throat. Luna took my hand down gently and took my wand away from me. I turned around and buried my face into her neck and tried to hold back tears.

"What, now you and Luna have a thing going on?" Ron asked stupidly.

"Ronald Weasley, what did your mother just say?" asked dad angrily.

I snatched my wand back from Luna and pointed it at his head. "One more word, Ron, and I swear I'll blast your damn head off right now!"

"Ginny, stop it," Luna said softly. "You're going to kill him for a stupid reason."

Luna took me into her arms and took my wand away from me. She handed it to mum who put it away somewhere.

"Come on, we're going to have a bit of a chat," Luna told me, pulling me into the kitchen with mum and Charlie.

"Ginny, we need to figure something out to help Hermione."

"Can't we take her to St. Mungo's?"

"Probably not," Charlie said.

I sat on Luna's lap and she rubbed my arms softly.

"I'm sorry; I have to ask, Ginny, dear. Is there anything going on between you and Luna?"

"Of sorts," I answered, "but we're just friends."

Mum and Charlie nodded.

"So… is there no problem with me being… you know, a lesbian?"

"No, Ginny. You're our family, my only daughter. I always suspected anyway."

"You _suspected_?"

"Yes, ever since you were little, you were a bit more of a tomboy than you should have been and you always looked at girls in ways you shouldn't have."

I stared. "So you knew before I did?"

"Yes dear."

I shook my head and twisted sideways on Luna's lap.

"All right, well what are we going to do about Hermione?"

"I'm not sure. Harry's gone to get a potion from someone he "knows" somewhere. We'll see if that works."

"And… if it doesn't?" I asked, not really wanting to hear the answer.

"Then, I don't know, dear."

I sighed and got up. "Come on, Luna," I said, making my way to the couch where Hermione lay.

"Hermione?"

Hermione looked up from the fireplace.

"I… I don't hate you… I'm just hurt, all right?"

Hermione nodded quietly. She wasn't able to talk anymore. I walked over and hugged her softly, and kissed her on the head. She smiled gratefully and closed her eyes. I sat by her side, gripping her hands shakily and trying not to cry. A couple of hours later, Harry returned. He smiled sadly upon seeing me, and kissed my cheek. He had a bottle of what looked like throw up in his hand. It was chunky, brown and green.

"Does she have to drink that?" I asked disgustedly.

Harry nodded. "Guaranteed to work."

"I refuse to drink that," whispered Hermione hoarsely.

"Hermione, please," I said before anyone else had the chance to speak.

"I can't… Look at it! It's frothing! And… and brown!"

"It'll make you—Hermione, you're going to die without it!"

"Please drink it, love," Ron spoke up.

"And, hypothetically, if you drink that when you're well, does it kill you?" I asked casually.

Luna frowned. "Ginny…"

"Wait a minute… You almost sound… jealous! You're jealous of—you're in love with Hermione!"

"I am NOT!" I roared, searching for a wand immediately.

"Why so touchy then?" snarled Ron.

This was going to be a brawl in a second.

"Ron Weasley, say another word about it and I'll kill you, I swear it!" I yelled.

"Go on and try!" he said, gaining courage.

"JUST BECAUSE I'M CONCERNED DOES NOT MEAN I LOVE HER! SHUT YOUR MOUTH, YOU HEAR?!" I screamed.

"Liar! She's my girlfriend, Ginny, you can't have her!"

"I don't want her! According to her, she's not even gay!"

Luna pulled me away as I began to storm over to Ron, fists clenched and ready.

"Come on, love, it's not worth it to kill him over a girl that's too dense to see what you mean to her," she murmured in my ear softly, holding me back.

I stared at her, furious tears filling my eyes.

"Drink the potion, Hermione, please," Harry pleaded with her as Luna pulled me into the kitchen so I could cry away from the eyes of everyone else.

I sat down on a chair and pulled Luna down with me, beginning to cry. A sob escaped my lips and I buried my face into her chest.

"It's all right, love, I'm here," Luna murmured softly, rubbing my arms gently.

I cried for quite a bit until I was cried out for the moment, and just sat there, my head resting on Luna's chest as she held me tightly. Everyone respected my privacy with Luna and so I sat there and stared at the floor for a few moments.

"You have to go back in there, Gin. You have to ignore them all and just stay with Hermione for a bit. Keep her calm, you know."

I nodded and wiped my face roughly. Hand in hand, the two of us walked back into the sitting room.


	6. The Nightmare and Acknowledgement

**Sixth Chapter is up! This chapter reflects on how I've been feeling lately. I'm a bit frustrated with this girl I love… I don't know why I'm spilling my heart out to people that don't really know me at all, so just R&R please?**

When Luna and I returned to the sitting room, Ron had his arms around Hermione and was kissing her softly. They were alone. Anger frothed and built up inside of me so quickly that I might have felt a tremor throughout my body. I wanted to hurt him, physically harm him, rip her off of him and scream bloody murder at the both of them. I wanted to let her know that if she knew how badly she's hurt me, she'd never be able to look me in the eye again. Instead, I cleared my throat. They jumped apart, alarmed. They probably thought that I was mum.

"Just me," I said, trying to mask the hurt and rage inside of me. Hermione knew. She always knew.

"Ginny…"

"Yes?" I said sweetly, masking my fury well.

Luna noticed. So did Hermione. They always did. They both frowned.

"Ginny, I um… I want you to be here when I drink the potion," Hermione told me softly.

I raised an eyebrow curiously. "All right, then."

Hermione gently pushed Ron away and sat up slowly, weakly. Ron handed her the potion. She uncorked it and took a sip. She began to gag and clapped a hand over her mouth, turning pale.

"Come on, Hermione, you have to drink it. Please, drink it," I pleaded with her.

Hermione seemed to have swallowed the bile in her throat and gulped down the potion as quickly as she could. Immediately she began to regain normal color in her face. The profuse sweating stopped and she looked like she had gained strength. She pushed herself off of the couch and stood up, but she looked a bit woozy still.

"So…"

"So…" I replied, beginning to get nervous. I grasped Luna's hand anxiously.

"Um… So, thanks for coming back to visit while I was ill…"

"Yes, you're welcome. Glad to see you're feeling better," I said, swallowing apprehensively.

"_**Are… are you going back to Luna's then?"**_

_**I looked at Luna. She looked back at me. Her silver eyes spoke to me. They told me to do what I felt was right in my heart. However, what my heart was telling me wasn't suitable for anyone's eyes. I felt like ripping Ron apart and screaming until my throat bled and no sound came out. I felt like telling her how I feel about her, how I loved her, how I longed for her, how I wanted her in my arms, I wanted her to be mine. I wanted to tell her how everything I had ever done right in my life was always for her. I passed my classes because she helped me study… not that we studied too much. I passed because I was motivated, because I wanted to make her proud, because I loved her and I hoped that if I made her proud enough, she would come out and we would officially be together. I hoped and dreamed so many things and everything went wrong. **_

"_**Ginny?"**_

_**I looked up to see everyone staring at me. Now, mum, dad and Charlie were in the room. I might have said what I hoped out loud.**_

"_**Are you all right?" Hermione asked softly.**_

"_**Nothing's ever a sure thing," I replied quietly, and headed out of the room. I went up the stairs slowly 'til I was in my room. I curled up in my bed, Luna close behind me, and cuddled against her.**_

"_**Nothing's ever a sure thing. People come and they go, lives are taken and created, and friendships fade. Love doesn't exist and relationships always end. Nothing lasts forever and fairy tales aren't real. I thought I loved her, I thought she loved me; I thought we would last forever but I was wrong. I was dead wrong. And now look at me, 17 years old, in my seventh year at school and I'm miserable. Miserable because I lost out on the one I truly love, because I'm not my brother."**_

"_**That's rather deep," Luna told me softly, rubbing my arms.**_

_**I shrugged a bit, not to shrug her off but to show I didn't really care. Luna knew I did. She always knew.**_

"_**Do you want to go back to my place?" Luna asked me.**_

_**I nodded silently. There was a knock on the door. Hermione poked her head in.**_

"_**Can I come in and chat with you about something, Gin?"**_

_**I gave Luna a look, asking her to leave us. She got up, kissed me on my cheek and left. Hermione came in and sat beside me. We sat in awkward silence for quite a long minute before she lifted my face by my chin gently.**_

"_**I um… So thanks for being there when I drank the potion," she said awkwardly.**_

"_**Why did you really come in here?" I asked.**_

"_**I was just wondering if… well, if you still felt the same way… you know, about me."**_

_**What was she getting at?**_

"_**Of course I do. This doesn't just go away overnight."**_

"_**And um… what about Luna?"**_

"_**What about her? She's my best friend."**_

"_**Nothing more, then?"**_

"_**Hermione, what are you getting at?"**_

"_**I just… Look, Ginny, I do remember. I remember all the days and nights we spent together, hiding away from everyone like outcasts. But I just wanted to make sure you're okay with Ron and me."**_

_**Great. She was just making sure. And here I was with a bit of hope.**_

"_**Sure. Great. I'm just bloody great with you guys. **__**Luna!**__**"I yelled.**_

"_**Ginny, I know you're not fine with us being together. I know you're not, I can tell by the way you tried to kill him today."**_

"_**Oh, that obvious then?" I said, voice dripping with sarcasm.**_

"_**Just a bit."**_

_**Hermione tried to force a smile as Luna walked in.**_

"_**You called?" Luna asked.**_

"_**Yeah, can we just… I don't know. Can we lay here for a bit?"**_

"_**Sure, love," Luna said softly, crawling into bed with me.**_

_**A look of jealousy flashed in Hermione's eyes for just a second before it disappeared. She got up from the bed. "All right, well, I'll be off then…. Thanks again, Ginny."**_

"_**Sure thing," I said, shaking my head. Hermione walked out, closing the door behind her and I curled up against Luna.**_

"_**What was all that about, then?"**_

"_**She said she remembered and she wanted to make sure I was okay with her and Ron being together."**_

"_**And of course, you're not and she knows that. Am I right?"**_

_**I nodded and closed my eyes.**_

"_**Want to take a nap, love?"**_

_**I nodded again. Luna slid her arms around my waist and I cuddled into her, quickly falling asleep.**_

_**Hermione suddenly appeared. She was sick, very sick. A mixture of sweat and tears rolled down her pale face. She was disappearing slowly, and I tried to grab onto her. Her body was vanishing in my own hands and I screamed out her name. I begged her to come back, but soon she was completely gone and I roared in anguish.**_

"_**Ginny? Ginny?"**_

"_**Ginny?" a voice said worriedly.**_

"_**HERMIONE!" I screamed, sitting up quickly. I felt dizzy.**_

"_**Shhh, love, relax. Hermione is fine. Please, relax."**_

"_**L-Luna?" I asked, panting for breath.**_

"_**You had a nightmare."**_

_**Luna was brushing my hair away from my sweaty face gently.**_

"_**Everything is fine. Hermione is okay. She's downstairs."**_

"_**She's… That was horrible… She was disappearing before my very own eyes, and I tried to grab for her but she just vanished…" I said, beginning to cry.**_

"_**It's all right love, it was just a dream," Luna said soothingly, rubbing my back softly.**_

_**I sniffled and quickly finished crying but I let myself be held and comforted by Luna. She rocked me slowly as we lay down. **_

"_**Everything is okay," she whispered one last time before the door creaked open. There stood mum.**_

"_**Oh… I'm sorry."**_

_**Mum turned bright red as if she had walked in on something that she should be embarrassed about.**_

"_**We weren't doing anything, mum."**_

"_**Of course, dear. Is everything all right? I heard shouting."**_

"_**I just had a nightmare, mum. Everything's fine."**_

"_**Are you sure? You don't look too well, dear."**_

"_**I'm fine, mum. Just a little shaken up."**_

"_**All right. Well, it's time for dinner, if you'd like to come down and join us."**_

"_**Dinner, already?"**_

"_**Yes, dear."**_

"_**All right, we'll be down soon."**_

_**Mum nodded and walked out, closing the door behind her. Luna and I got up slowly, still holding onto each other.**_

"_**Are you sure you want to do this?" Luna asked.**_

_**She sounded as if she was asking if I wanted to throw myself off of the Astronomy tower.**_

"_**I'm sure," I smiled.**_

_**Hand in hand, we walked downstairs to the dining room.**_


	7. The Scenery and The Proposal

**Chapter 7, woo-hoo! I'm very happy with the progress I've made because I'm actually getting reviews. I don't really know where to go from here with the story. So anything I write will be surprising me as well as all of you. Also, this chapter might seem a little funny sounding because I'm extremely sick while writing it and my writing is suffering because of it. Anyway, hope you enjoy. R&R please! : )**

Luna and I sat side by side at the table. She held my hand under the table as we ate what must have been the most amazing dinner in the world. It could have either been cooked really well, or I was just starving. I think it may have been a bit of both. Luna let go of my hand momentarily to wipe at her mouth with her napkin and my hand felt empty and cold in that moment. But when she slipped her hand back into mine, I smiled. Everyone kept glancing around silently, and I felt a bit awkward around my own family.

"So, erm… Ginny…" Harry attempted valiantly, breaking the silence.

"Yes, Harry?" I said, plastering on a fake smile.

"How are, um… things with you and Luna?"

I raised an eyebrow curiously. Had Hermione put him up to this? She must have, she was staring down at her plate determinedly, but I knew she was listening.

"They're fine, Harry… It's not like we're going out or anything, though we probably should be. We act like it, anyway."

Luna grinned up at me; I was actually quite a bit taller than her. I was actually quite a bit taller than a lot of people. I was nearly Ron's height.

"So, why don't you?"

"I don't know. Luna and I are just friends. It's always been that way, and it'll probably always be that way."

"All right, then," Harry said as he chewed thoughtfully on a bit of chicken. He seemed satisfied with my answer and it went back to the lapsed silence. I felt awkward and I didn't like it, so I quickly ate my food and asked to be excused. Mum and dad nodded, and I cleaned up my spot at the table and headed up to my room, shooting a meaningful glance at Luna. I closed the door behind me and lay down on my bed. A few moments later, the door creaked open, and then shut and I could tell without looking from the pattern of the footsteps that it was Luna. She crawled into bed beside me and we lay there in silence, both thinking.

I wondered what Harry's ulterior motive was in asking me those questions. He must have wanted to know something for Hermione. He must have asked me that stuff for her. Maybe she wanted to know because she missed me. Maybe she wanted to be with me again. A sliver of hope swelled slowly into a ball of hope in my chest. Luna snored softly and I looked at her. She was fast asleep. I smiled softly.

"Ginny?" I heard a voice from outside of the room. A knock on the door.

"Yeah, come in," I sighed, recognizing Charlie's voice.

Charlie walked in, broad shoulders looking a bit purple in his tank top.

"Um, what happened? And we have to be quiet, Luna's fallen asleep."

"Oh, we were playing around, Harry and I, and I ran into the cabinet."

"Ouch. Hey, did Harry mention anything about talking for Hermione while you guys were hanging around?"

"He mentioned how Hermione seemed a bit upset, but not about talking for Hermione. Don't get your hopes up, kiddo. She's no good for you. Now, Luna, she's a winner there."

I smiled a bit. "Yeah, she's a prize, all right."

"So why aren't you her girlfriend, then?"

"I don't know. I guess she just doesn't have feelings for me. She told me so."

Charlie's expression fell, and he looked rather upset. "Well, all right. Just… be careful, all right, Ginny?"

I nodded, not really knowing what he meant by that. He got up, mussed my hair and left, closing the door behind himself. I yawned and curled up into Luna and fell asleep. When I woke up, it was to Luna shaking me gently. I stretched slowly like a cat and opened one eye sleepily.

"Ginny, father's just owled me. He's gone away from home for a bit to visit some relatives in Dublin. I was wondering if I could stay here for a bit with you. "

I nodded groggily and stretched again, yawning widely. "I think my family wants me to date you," I told Luna.

"Really? That's quite interesting."

"Is it?"

"I wouldn't mind dating you," Luna said somewhat shyly.

I groaned internally. If Luna had feelings for me, and she had just lied to protect me…

"Why do you say that?"

"Well we're already acting like we're dating. We do everything couples do. Why not have the title?"

"Because you don't have feelings for me and because even if you did, it wouldn't be fair to you for me to be with you and be in love with Hermione."

"I suppose so…" Luna said carefully. She looked as if she was mulling it over, but I couldn't be too sure as to what she was thinking.

"Want to go fly around a bit in the back?" I asked her, sitting up.

"Sure, only I'm afraid to fly."

"Don't worry, you can hold on to me," I smiled.

She grinned and we headed out back, grabbing my broom on the way. I mounted the broom and helped Luna on, and she gripped my waist tightly, nervously. I kicked off and hovered about five feet off the ground, to let Luna get used to the height difference. Slowly, I began to maneuver the broom higher and higher until we were about 50 feet up in the air. Luna looked down and squeaked, terrified.

"Don't look down, just look around you," I told her over the roar of the wind.

I felt her shift around a little bit to look around. A soft gasp escaped from her mouth. I could understand why; the scenery was beautiful. I smiled and held onto one of her hands on my waist. This might have been a little too romantic for two best friends to do together but I didn't mind. A shout broke us out of our first true romantic moment.

"Ginny!"

I sighed and looked down; no one could ever leave Luna and me alone for too long. My heart caught in my throat when I saw who was looking up at me.

"Hey, Hermione!"

I flew down slowly, still gripping Luna's hand. She rested her chin on my shoulder calmly and held on to my waist tightly. When I touched down to the floor, I stepped off of the broom slowly and helped Luna down. She automatically clung to me. She was starting to get attached to me. However in love I was with Hermione, she never got this attached to me. I grinned and kissed Luna on the cheek appreciatively.

"What's up?" I asked Hermione, sliding my hands around Luna's waist from behind.

"Um… nothing," said Hermione. She seemed stunned by something. Maybe my smile; I hadn't smiled like this since before my first year at Hogwarts. She had never seen me smile like this.

"Well there must have been something you wanted, if you came out here to find me."

"I… there was… but I forgot what it was… so I'll just… I'll just go back inside then," she stammered.

I kissed the back of Luna's neck affectionately and held her tightly. She leaned against me, and I felt her completely relax against me.

"Well, I suppose I'll see you later, then," I told Hermione.

"I suppose," she said.

I could see the rage and jealousy in her eyes. Luna could as well, because she tensed and I felt her fists clench tightly.

"Relax," I murmured into her ear, and kissed it softly.

Hermione twisted around and bumped into Ron, who hugged her immediately. She squeezed him, glancing at me out of the corner of her eye. I scowled and Luna and I pushed past them, still holding on to each other. I sighed, pulling Luna to a spot at the top of a huge hill. We walked slowly, sluggishly, since the hill was steep. When we got to the top, we lay down, and I wrapped my arms around her. This was exactly what I needed after seeing Ron and Hermione together. I was still burning up with jealousy but something about the way Luna hugged me – she felt so needy – made me feel calm and safe.

"Luna?" I asked softly.

"Mm?"

"Do you need me?"

"Of course I do. You're the best friend I've ever had, the only true friend I've ever had. I love you dearly, and if you were to disappear somewhere or abandon me, I would lose my mind. They would have a ward for Luna Lovegood in St. Mungo's."

I smiled and cuddled closer to her. We watched the sun go down in each others' arms and when we got up to go to bed, it was already late. Mum had a fit when we came in.

"Where _were_ you girls?! I've been looking all over for you two! You missed an important talk, and it is way past your bed time, Ginny Weasley!"

"Sorry, mum," I grinned sheepishly.

"Sorry, Mrs. Weasley," Luna said serenely.

"Oh, I was just worried… Get up to bed now. Hermione will be staying in Ron's room with him. Harry will be in the twins' room…" Mum said, trailing off at the mention of the twins. Now that one of the twins, Fred, was gone, Mum was sensitive to saying 'the twins' or 'the boys' or anything like that.

"All right," I said quickly, though a surge of anger coursed through me. "Good night, mum. See you in the morning."

"Good night, girls. Sweet dreams."

"Good night, Mrs. Weasley," Luna said.

I took Luna's hand and we headed up to my room. I locked the door, undressed and laid in bed, waiting for Luna to come with me. Her eyes grazed over my naked body lustfully, and I grinned.

"Come get me if you want me."

I placed a silencing charm on the room, and reached from my bed to close the window. Luna crawled into bed and began to kiss me. Her lips trailed onto my neck quickly. She sucked on my neck and soon left a mark. This was going to be a long, tireless night.

When Luna and I woke up in the morning, it was in each others' arms, and with smiles on our faces.

"Good morning, love," she whispered in my ear.

"Mm, morning," I yawned, stretching.

Luna ran a finger down my taut stomach and I giggled; I was extremely ticklish.

"Should we go downstairs, then?" Luna asked.

"I suppose," I replied, grabbing around tiredly for my clothes.

I passed my eyes across Luna's naked body with a grin and stopped at her neck.

"Oh, crap," I muttered, touching her neck softly. There was a great big dark purple mark on her throat.

"What is it?" Luna asked, touching her neck.

"I've left you a bit of a mark," I grinned guiltily.

"Oh, dear," grinned Luna, and began to get dressed.

Once we were both fully clothed, we went downstairs and I froze upon what I saw. Ron was on one knee holding a ring out to Hermione.


	8. Never Leave Yourself Defenseless

**Chapter 8 is up. Sorry I've left you all with such a cliffy, but that's just my style of writing. Gotta draw you guys in to read. Anyway, here goes the next installment. Read and review please! : )**

My eyes burned with tears, but Ron hadn't noticed I was there. He continued to look at Hermione hopefully, thinking, praying that she would say yes. I bumped into Luna and she began to lead me up the stairs but I heard Hermione's voice, an indistinct cry of, "I can't."

I froze.

"What? What do you mean, you can't?" Ron said, aghast.

"I… I can't."

"Why not?" he demanded. "Don't you love me? Is there someone else? Are you _cheating_ on me?"

"I… I'm sorry," she said, and brushed past him. She gave me a fleeting look and ran up the stairs, crying.

I chanced a glance at Ron. He was staring at the spot Hermione was previously at, shocked, heartbroken. He slumped down and held his head, beginning to cry. I moved towards him but he shoved me away.

"Get away from me," he snarled with venom in his voice.

"Ron…"

"This is your fault. You love her and she feels guilty. This is YOUR FAULT!" he roared, grabbing a nearby cup and throwing it at me. I caught it, and set it down.

"I'm sorry this happened, Ron… Sorry you got hurt. But this isn't my fault."

I made my way out to the back with Luna's hand gripping mine. We laid down out back, my head resting on her chest. I was the more feminine one for once. She held me close and rubbed my back and I sighed.

"What do you think that was about?" I asked Luna.

"I've no clue, love. Perhaps she still feels the same way about you."

I felt the gentle rising and falling of Luna's chest as she breathed and it kept me calm. I gripped her hand tightly and sighed.

"Perhaps you should go in and talk to her?" Luna asked.

"No. If she wants to talk, she knows where to find me. I'm always here by myself."

"All right, then."

I leaned up and kissed Luna on the cheek. She smiled down at me, her eyes warm and bright. I clung to Luna with a sigh and curled up into her.

"Want to go for a bit of a fly then?" she asked, noticing my depression.

"All right," I said reluctantly, and stood up. I helped her up and we headed towards the field, grabbing a broom on the way. We mounted the broom together, and she grasped my waist tightly.

"Ready?" I asked her.

"Ready," Luna responded.

I kicked off and Luna squeaked with a bit of fear. I gripped one of her hands softly and we flew around for a bit.

"Ginny!" a voice called. "Ginny, please, I need you!"

I looked down. Hermione stood there, waving her hands frantically, tears rolling down her cheeks. I flew down slowly, so as not to scare Luna, and touched down very softly. Luna got off of the broom and I followed suit. I set the broom against a tree and folded my arms nervously. Luna hugged my waist.

"Can I speak to you alone?" she sniffled, and then hiccuped.

I looked to Luna for approval. She nodded, kissed my cheek and headed back into the house. Hermione pulled me to a spot where we used to hang out, under the biggest tree in the yard. She looked at me and began to cry again.

"Don't… don't cry," I mumbled awkwardly.

Now that we weren't messing around, I wasn't sure what to do when she cried.

"I couldn't say yes to him," she sobbed. "I just couldn't. I don't love him like that. I love him like a brother, a very dear brother, but I am not in love with him."

Hope swelled in my chest. She raised her eyes from the ground to look at me. Her eyes were sparkling, swimming with tears and I reached out to wipe them away gently. She leaned into my touch and I sighed.

"So what happened? Did you… break up with him?" I asked. The curiosity was killing me.

"No, he broke up with me. He said if I can't marry him then I don't love him, and I shouldn't waste my time feeling guilty for, and I quote, "a little tramp like my dumb sister.""

I nodded silently, not quite knowing what to say.

"I slapped him, by the way, after he said that about you."

"Did you?" I asked.

For some reason my heart was breaking into a million different pieces and I looked away. I couldn't look at her, not with the way she was looking at me, like she was trying to tell me something. She looked at me the way she used to, when she used to tell me she loved me. She might have been drunk the first time she said it but the times after that, I wasn't so sure.

"I did," she said, pulling me out of my reverie.

I risked a look at her and she gave me this weird look. I wanted to look away; I couldn't. She was so beautiful, and I just couldn't deal with the fact that I couldn't have her.

"I'm sorry," I told her, "I have to--…"

I don't know which one of us leaned in first, but I ended up with her lips against mine. I felt her arm sliding around my neck, pulling me down against her. The heat of her body mixed with mine and I felt so warm. I slid my hands down to her waist and pulled her closer. I felt eyes watching us, but I didn't care. I felt so happy, so complete at that moment, I wanted to cry. She finally pulled away after what felt like an eternity cut too short.

"I… I'm sorry," I tried, for the look on her face was one of astonishment.

She looked at me, then at the ground, then at me again.

"We shouldn't be…" she started.

"I know, I'm sorry."

She looked like she was struggling with something internally, like she wanted to say something so badly, but she just couldn't.

"I'll just, I'll go then," I mumbled, beginning to walk away. My face fried with embarrassment and I stared at the floor as I walked.

"I love you," she whispered.

I tripped over a tree root and nearly fell.

"You… what?" I said, catching my balance and turning around.

"I love you. Ginny, please don't be upset with me. That's why I couldn't say yes to Ron. I'm so totally, completely, unabashedly in love with you. Ron, he was just the Weasley I could be with in public, and… he was the closest thing I had to you."

I stared at her.

"You made me suffer all of that, you lied to me! You—you—I cried over you, all the bloody time! Every day I cried! You lied to me!"

"Ginny, please, you have to understand. I was scared."

"Of what?! You knew I was in love with you, you knew I wouldn't turn you away and you lied anyway! We could have gone through the struggle together but I went it alone! It would have been better if you weren't in love with me and you were telling the truth."

I stormed away furiously, bitter tears stinging at my eyes. I bumped into Ron on my way inside.

"You all right?" Ron asked mockingly.

"Piss the hell off, you bastard," I growled, shoving past him. I ran up to my room, the tears burning my cheeks as they rolled down.

I slammed the door behind me to find Luna sitting by the window.

"Are you all right? Of course you're not. Come here, my love," she said softly.

I sat on her lap and cried, harder than I've ever cried. Neither of us said a word for hours. When I was all cried out, I rested my head on her shoulder and sniffled. I clung to her and she rocked me slowly. We stood that way for the rest of the night. From the other room, I could hear Hermione crying and it broke my heart… no it didn't. My heart was already as broken as it could have ever been.

While the sun was rising, I was falling asleep. Luna helped me up and led me to the bed where I could lay down.

"Stay with me?" I asked in a whisper.

"Of course," she whispered back, and lay down beside me.

I fell asleep quickly, tired out from all the crying I had done. When I woke up, it felt like it was too soon. I felt groggy and disoriented. I groaned.

"Shh, go back to sleep," a soft voice murmured.

I opened an eye to see brown hair surrounding pale skin. I struggled to keep my eyes open.

"Where's Luna?" I asked hoarsely, not knowing who was lying down with me.

"She's downstairs helping your mum make breakfast."

My mum? I forced my eyes open all the way and was completely shocked to see Hermione lying down with me.

"I'm sorry, love," she whispered in my ear. "I'm so sorry for everything I've put you through… I honestly do love you, and I was so terribly afraid of what the others would say in school… But now I'm out of school and I'm not afraid anymore. Ron and I, we're over… And I want to be with you."

I pulled away from her as best as I could. "You lied to me," I muttered sleepily.

"I know. And I'm so sorry for that. Please, please forgive me," she pleaded softly.

"I don't know, Hermione…"

"Please, Ginny… I need you in my life. I need you to be my girlfriend. I want you to be my everything again."

Hermione slid her fingers into mine gently and gripped my hands.

"I love you," she whispered, "I'm so in love with you."

My face broke into a smile, a calm smile, and I looked into her warm chocolate eyes for verification. There was nothing but love in them, and unless she was a really good liar, I trusted that she really cared.

"I'm still in love with you, Hermione Granger."

"I'll always be in love with you, Ginny Weasley."

She leaned in to kiss me and our lips met. Electricity sparked throughout my body and I shivered. My hands wrapped around her waist and she slid her arms around my neck. I grinned against her lips and mumbled, "What a wonderful way to wake up."

"Mmhmm," she agreed quietly, and buried her face into my neck. "You should sleep more; it's only been about an hour since you fell asleep."

I groaned and curled up in her arms. She held me tightly, and I nuzzled her neck gently. I felt so at peace with her, lying together like this. I loved her, truly madly deeply. I was so incredibly crazy about her, and even though I still wasn't sure she was crazy about me, I felt happy enough knowing I was in her arms. I quickly fell into a deep, peaceful sleep, and didn't wake up for hours. When I did wake up, it was to rustling of the bed. I was a light sleeper.

"'Mione?" I mumbled groggily.

"Yes, love?"

"Where are you going?" I asked, scared that she would never come back.

"I have to use the lavatory."

"Mm-kay," I smiled, and relaxed.

A few moments later, I heard yelling from downstairs. Ron's yelling.

"You lying tramp! There _was_ someone else! There was my sister!"

"She treats me better than you'll ever treat me! Lying to me, cheating on me, swearing at me all the damn time!"

I forced myself up from the bed, quickly waking up. I quickly made my way down the stairs just as mum was getting involved.

"Ronald Weasley, I did NOT teach you to treat women poorly! You'd better apologize sincerely to Hermione or—."

"Or what? Gonna kick me out? You can't. I don't live here," he grinned maniacally.

"I'll disown you," Mum said quietly.

"Don't bother, Mum," I growled, "It's not like anyone sees him as part of this family anymore, anyway. Merlin, Ron, you're worse than Percy."

Hermione was crying and I swept her up into my arms and swayed on the spot with her, whispering sweet nothings in her ear to calm her down.

"Get off of my fiancee!" Ron roared.

"She's not your fiancee," I told him calmly. "She's not your anything anymore. She's my everything now."

Ron brandished his wand and aimed it at me. "Get off, NOW!"

I whipped my own wand out and pushed Hermione into Mum just as Ron cast a spell at me. I wasn't sure what it was, I had never heard of it. I countered with my own.

"Expelliarmus!" I roared.

The spell countered and Ron flew into the kitchen sink. He slammed his head into the cupboard above it, and then slumped down, holding his head.

There was dead silence, and then the clattering of Ron's wand as he held his head with both hands.

"Something you taught me, Ron," I snarled, "Never leave yourself defenseless."

I wondered why no one else had come to Hermione's rescue. "Mum, where is everyone?"

"They went out. Harry took Luna to Diagon Alley, and that's as far as I know."

Hermione was still crying, and she reached out to me. I pulled her into a tight embrace and led her up the stairs. We returned to my room and I laid her down gently. She pulled me down with her and I slid in beside her. All seemed to be calm, until the door swung open a little while later. Fiery red hair stormed through the door and Hermione screamed.


	9. Almost Duels and St Mungo's

**Chapter 9! I didn't think it would get this far. I love this story with a passion. I have gotten some suggestions from you, the readers, and I have to figure out where I'm going to throw that in… But for now, keep reading and reviewing! : ) Thanks, and enjoy.**

"You were with her when we were in school?" Ron roared, swinging the door so hard it swung back into him. He shoved it back and let it slam as he stepped into the room.

"It's none of your business what we were doing when she was in school!" I roared back, jumping out of bed and swiftly brandishing my wand.

"Where did you hear that?" Hermione asked timidly.

"Does it matter? You… you whore! I thought you loved me! You said you loved me!"

I dug the tip of my wand into his throat.

"Call her that again and I'll make sure you can never talk again."

"Ginny!"

Luna, Charlie, Harry and Mum ran in, and the latter three were trying to pull me away.

"Ginny, please…" Hermione cried, "You're going to kill him!"

Her words were foggy; I was blinded by rage. My hands trembled with fury and I curled my lip into a snarl.

"Gin, come on, I mean, we can talk about this," Ron mumbled nervously.

"Coward," I hissed, "you always were a coward!"

"Ginny Weasley," a serene voice said softly, pulling me from my angry state.

I looked up to meet Luna's silver eyes.

"Let go of him," Luna said softly.

I hadn't realized I had my left hand wrapped around his shirt, holding him in place. I loosened my grip and let him go. Tears of rage were welling up in my eyes. I couldn't deal with this anymore; I ran out of the room, shoving Ron aside.

"Ginny!" Hermione called after me.

I ran and ran, my tears blinding me, and the only reason I stopped was because I couldn't breathe. I collapsed onto the floor, my chest feeling tight and my head spinning. I felt like I was fading, but someone lay my head on their lap. Warm droplets of water fell onto my face and I blinked, startled.

"Ginny, are you okay? Please, answer me!"

"He… Hermione?" I asked.

I felt weak, and I couldn't breathe. I was gasping for air, wondering what was wrong with me. Did I run too much, and perhaps tired myself out? What was going on?

"Ginny, please, talk to me, love! Please!"

I felt my eyes closing slowly.

"Ginny!"

A new voice. Luna's.

"Luna…"

I forced my eyes open to see Luna's concerned silver eyes looking down at me.

"What's going on, Ginny?"

I opened my mouth to speak but no words came out. My eyes rolled into the back of my head and all I could see was black.

When I woke up, my vision was blurry. It took a while for things to come into focus. The surface under me felt stiff and itchy. There was a warm sensation across my torso. I looked to my left. A body was lying against me, and my neck felt wet. When things finally did come into focus, I realized the body against me was Hermione. I looked around. I was in a hospital room.

_Damn_, I thought. _What the bloody hell is going on?_

"Ginny?"

I looked to my right. Luna sat beside my bed, eyes red and swollen.

"Luna…" I said hoarsely. It hurt to speak.

"Shh, love, don't talk. It's all right now…

I looked at her, trying to ask with my eyes, what was wrong with me?

"You have a magical form of what muggles call "asthma. It--."

"Ginny?" a groggy voice asked.

I looked to my left, where Hermione was lying.

I smiled weakly.

"Can you… talk?"

I shook my head. Hermione kissed my lips gently.

"It's all right, love, everything is okay now. I'm here," she murmured. Her eyes were also red and swollen, and she had tear stains running down her cheeks.

I turned to Luna, to hear the rest of her explanation.

"Your airways closed, and you've been out for a couple of days. You could have died, Ginny…"

Luna's eyes filled with tears again, and she turned away. I reached for her, and gripped her hand. She laid her head against the bed, and silently cried.

"'s okay…" I said hoarsely. "'m okay…"

I touched her face softly and wiped away her tears. My eyelids felt heavy.

"Rest a bit… we'll be here when you wake up, all right? I should go and tell your family you've woken up, if only for a few moments." Luna said, her voice breaking.

My eyes closed, and I slept. I don't know how long I slept, only that when I woke up, it was light outside. I woke up to loud talking, and Mum complaining about the quality of food the hospital was trying to feed her only daughter. I opened one eye sleepily, and immediately, everyone clamored over me.

Hermione, I noticed, was glaring at Luna, who was gripping my hand tightly. My mouth felt dry, and my eyelids still felt heavy, but I managed to keep them open.

"Oh, Ginny! Are you all right, dear? Do you need anything? Shall I call the healers for you?" Mum asked, brushing my hair away from my eyes.

"Did… I miss school?" I asked.

"No, dear, school starts next week," Mum replied, taken aback.

"Is there water around?" I asked. It didn't hurt to speak anymore.

Mum handed me a glass of water, and Luna helped me sit up. I was still weak, and felt a little dizzy. I drank the water nonetheless, and turned to Hermione when I had finished.

"Hermione, what's wrong?"

She had a look of pure spite in her eyes, but her expression softened when she looked at me.

"Nothing, love… Everything's okay."

"Are you…"

I followed her gaze when she looked away. She was watching Luna fix my pillows for me. I was curious as to why Luna would upset her. Luna couldn't harm a fly. A death eater, maybe, but not a fly.

"Um, can I have a word with Hermione alone, everyone?"

Everyone wished me well as they exited the room, and Luna kissed my forehead softly before departing.

"Hermione, what's going on?"

"Nothing," she replied stubbornly.

"Hermione, please… I'm on my deathbed here---."

"Don't say that! You're fine, you'll be fine!"

"Sorry… I just want to know what's bothering you."

"I just feel threatened… Luna is Merlin knows what to you, and I want to be your everything. I want to be the one you love, and I feel like I'm not…"

"Hermione…"

I lifted her face to meet her eyes with mine.

"I love you. What me and Luna had, whatever it was, it's over now. I've waited so long to be able to call you my one and only. Please understand that. You're the only one for me. I love you, and only you."

"It's just the way she looks at you, Gin, and the way you look at her."

"I love her, Hermione, but not the way I love you. You're my world. You have my heart. That, I promise you. Luna is just a friend to me, my best friend."

I looked into her eyes sincerely. She looked back, I suppose to see the truth in my eyes. What she found, she wasn't satisfied with, for she had gotten up from my hospital bed and paced the room.

"What if you develop feelings for her? What if she develops feelings for you? What if everything goes horribly wrong?"

"Hermione… stop listening to your brain. Turn it off, all right? Listen to your heart, for once. Please believe me when I say I love you."

She stopped. Her eyes met mine again and she walked over to me.

"Kiss me?" I asked.

She leaned down and pressed her lips to mine softly. I felt the spark, the fireworks that only she made me feel. My stomach erupted with butterflies and my heart pounded a steady, rapid beat in my chest. I kissed back eagerly, and pulled her down into the bed with me.

"Hello," she whispered, holding herself above me.

"Hello," I whispered back.

We shared a smile and another kiss before she lay down beside me. Her arms slid around my waist and I snuggled into her. This is how it should have been. I thought it would be bliss from there on, but I was wrong…


	10. Too Much Firewhiskey

**Hey all! I'm back. I know this chapter isn't going to be as great, but it's got a bit of conflict. I just wanted to apologize ahead of time, before you all read this. Hopefully you won't be disappointed, but I've had horrible writer's block and I just need things to speed up a bit before I can finish this story. So, R&R and please enjoy!**

With only a week left before school started, I intended on spending every minute I could with Hermione. Luna had me the whole year. My birthday had came and went while I was in St. Mungo's, so on August 30th, two days before school started, my family had thrown a birthday party for me.

I woke up that morning with Hermione's arm draped over my chest, and I smiled, curling into her. She stirred slowly, burying her face in my neck. Her breath was hot against my skin. It made me giggle a bit and I wrapped myself up in her arms. Sure, I was the taller, more boyish of us two, but it didn't mean I didn't like to be held.

Hermione opened one eye sleepily and smiled. I couldn't help but grin back and brush a strand of hair away from her face gently. This was bliss, or so I thought at the moment. Hermione and I rolled out of bed and made our way down the stairs slowly, still feeling sleepy. Mum greeted us with breakfast and then asked what our plans were for the day.

"I don't know," I replied, taken aback. "What do you want to do, Hermione?"

Hermione rubbed her face, a small smile playing on her lips. I looked at her curiously.

"Well, we could always just head to Diagon Alley and go shopping, or something of the sort."

That sounded like a good idea, considering the school's supply list had recently arrived and I needed to get my books.

"Okay, that sounds like a plan," I smiled.

We ate breakfast quickly, without any interruptions as the rest of the family was sleeping, and then headed out through the floo network. Once we were in the clear, she slipped her fingers into mine. I grinned down at her and we made our way into Diagon Alley. When we made it back home, I was surprised to see Luna sitting on the couch, reading her father's paper, The Quibbler.

"Luna?"

Damn, that was going to cause problems for Hermione and me.

"Oh, damn. Mrs. Weasley, Ginny and Hermione are back early!"

I was confused. "What are you doing here? I thought…" I trailed off.

"Oh, Ginny! Damn, you've gone and ruined it!" Harry exclaimed, running down the stairs.

"What did I ruin?" I nearly yelled, confused.

"Gin, why is Luna here?" Hermione muttered to me.

I shrugged helplessly; I was just as lost as she was.

"We were going to surprise you with a birthday party," Mum told me, "But you've returned early."

I stared at her – then I began to laugh. "That's what this is about? A birthday party?"

"Well, dear, you've come of age; you're going into your final year at Hogwarts. We just wanted to make it a day for you to remember."

"Well, come on then, let's start the party!" I grinned, pulling Hermione to dance with me, despite the lack of music.

Quite some time later, I fell into bed with Luna. Hermione had disappeared with Ron and Harry somewhere, and I hadn't seen her for a little over an hour. I felt drunk, dizzy and happy.

"I miss you," I grinned at Luna.

"I miss you, too," Luna said softly. Perhaps she hadn't had as much to drink as I had.

"Why so quiet, love?"

"Ginny, I don't think you should be calling me that. You have a girlfriend, the girl of your dreams, no less."

I frowned.

"Luna… I mean, come on, we're friends."

"Are we?"

I stared at her. I was a bit too drunk for this.

"Of… of course we are. You're my best friend; I love you."

"I love you too," she said, looking away.

I pulled her closer, and buried my face in her neck. "I really did miss you, Luna."

"I believe you," she said softly.

I slowly began to drift into a dreamless sleep, my arms locked tight around Luna's waist. When I woke up, it was to something shattering on the wall. I jumped up, then grabbed at my head; it was pounding. My stomach was churning and I felt queasy. I locked my eyes on Hermione, tears running down her face and her wand in hand. I didn't know what was going on until I felt Luna shift around behind me. She had tear stains on her face as well. What the hell was going on?

"I knew it! I knew you were with her behind my back! I knew you still had something going on!"

"Oh bloody hell, Hermione, please lower your voice," I nearly cried, grasping at my throbbing head. It felt like it was going to explode.

"Don't you tell me what to do, Ginny Weasley!" she shrieked.

Ron was smirking behind her. I suppose he thought that since Hermione thought I was cheating on her, it'd be his chance. I grabbed my wand, standing up shakily from my bed. I looked down at myself – good, I was still clothed – and then looked back up at Hermione.

"Hermione, this is just a big misunderstanding…"I tried to explain.

"Oh, the hell it is. You're in bed with a naked Ravenclaw, what the hell am I supposed to think?"

Naked? I looked back at Luna. She was only covered by the bed sheets. What the hell did I do last night?

"No… no, no, no, Luna sleeps like that, she feels restricted when she sleeps with clothes on!" I stammered, trying to explain myself. I realized I sounded like a fool, and a liar, so I turned to Luna.

"Luna, tell them! I didn't… we didn't!"

Luna looked at me silently. "If she doesn't trust you then why stay with her?" she asked me.

I stared. "Luna!"

"We didn't do anything last night, we simply fell asleep. And yes, I do hate to sleep in clothes."

Hermione seemed like she didn't know what to believe. I walked over to her unsteadily. Everyone seemed to have filed into my room.

"I love you. You know that. Nothing is going on between Luna and I. You're the only one for me."

Ron pretended to gag behind her back and I flicked my wand, sending a book to smack him on the head.

"Ow!"

"Shut up, you!" I snarled. "Hermione, what do I have to do to get you to believe I love you?"

"I don't know, but you'd better do it quick. I'm growing rather weary of this lying and sneaking around!" she shrieked.

The sound of her voice screaming shot at my head and I bolted to the bathroom to be sick. When I finished, I slumped down against the toilet bowl, my eyes streaming.

"How much did you drink last night?" Harry asked, kneeling beside me.

"I don't know," I mumbled as he helped me back to bed.

"Hermione, if you're going to bug her, then bug her later when she's feeling better, all right?" Harry told Hermione sternly.

"I'm not going to bug her," Hermione said quietly, pushing Harry aside and helping me crawl back into bed.

Luna was already dressed and out of bed. It also seemed as if Luna and Hermione had settled their differences, because they weren't at each others' throats. How long was I vomiting for?

"It's all right, love, Luna and I are here," Hermione murmured as she crawled into bed beside me.

I must have looked as confused as I felt because Luna began to explain.

"We both love you, and we know you both care for us, albeit in different ways. Therefore, we've decided to put our differences aside for you."

I stared at both of them, and then rolled over and went to sleep. Women were so confusing sometimes.


End file.
